How the ‘goats’ provided winning formula

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Broad’s dismissal of Clarke was just the tonic he needed, and suddenly he was bowling several miles an hour fasterANDREW YATES/AFP/Getty Images

Mike Brearley

Last updated at 12:01AM, August 16 2013

What a match! It had as many ups and downs as the rollercoaster in Brighton Rock. One might say it sorted the sheep from the goats, but actually those who succeeded had to show the obduracy of pertinacious goats. In this version of the parable, it was not the sheep who found eternal life.

Several players made their marks on the game, with both ball and bat, but only Stuart Broad and Ryan Harris as bowlers, and Ian Bell and Chris Rogers with the bat, managed to press on (though I thought David Warner did enough to give England a